DISCOURSE 



DELIVERED BEFOKE THE 



^^ew-England Historic, Genealogical Society, 



BOSTON, MARCH 18, 1871, 



ON THE OCCASION OF THE 



DEDICATION OF THE SOCIETY'S HOUSE. 



By CHARLES H. BELL, A.M. 

A MEMBER OF THE SOCIETY. 




BOSTON : 
NEW-ENGLAND HISTORIC, GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY. 

M. DCCC. LXXI. 



N. E.Hlst. Genl. Soc. 



tliuth is the historian's chown, asd art 
Squares it. to stricter comeliness. 



D. Ci-App & Son, 564 Washington St., Boston. 



f^ 



^I'V 



^1 



PROCEEDINGS. 



Society's Rooms, 17 Bromfield Street, 
Boston, 9th November, 1870. 

The Hon. Charles H. Bell, 

Exeter, IST. H. 

Dear Sir, — 

The undersigned having been appointed by the New-Eng- 
land Historic, Genealogical Society, a committee of arrange- 
ments for the dedication of the Society's House, to take place 
probably in March next, beg to tender to you our cordial and unani- 
mous request that you will deliver a discourse before the Society on 
that occasion. 

We have the honor, dear Sir, to be 

Most respectfully, 

Your obedient servants, 

Marshall P. Wilder, 
• William B, Towne, 

DoRus Clarke, 
Edmund F. Slafteb, 
George B. Upton. 



Exeter, N. H., 12th November, 1870. 

Gentlemen : — 

I thank you for the honor you have done me, in selecting me 
to deliver a discourse before the New-England Historic, Genea- 
logical Society, on the interesting occasion of the dedication of 



4 PROCEEDINGS. 

their House, as well as for tlie kind and courteous terms of yx)ur 

invitation. 

It will afford me much pleasure to comply with your request. 

With the highest respect, 

Your obedient servant, 

Charles H. Bell. 

To the Hon. Marshall P. "Wilder, Boston, Mass. 
William B. Towne, Esq., Milfoixl, N. H. 
The Rev. DoRus Clarke, D.D., Boston, Mass. 
The Rev. Edmund F. Slafter, Bostou, Mass. 
The Hon. George B. Upton, Boston, Mass. 



The Discourse was delivered in the Hall of the Society's House, 
18 Somerset Street, Boston, on the afternoon of the 18th of March, 
1871, the 26th anniversary of the Society's incorporation, to a 
crowded assembly, members of the Society and invited guests. 

The Hon. Marshall P. Wilder, the president, in calling the 
meeting to order, spoke as follows : — 

Ladies and Gentlemen : — 

I congratulate you upon the auspicious circumstances under 
which we are assembled. One year ago this day we commemorated 
with appropriate ceremonies the completion of the first quarter of a 
centuiy in the history of our association. To-day we signalize 
another important epoch in our progress by the consecration of this, 
our house, to the love of country, kindred and a revered ancestry. 
One year ago the Society possessed no home in fee-simple. To-day 
it is the sole proprietor, the owner w^ithout incumbrance, of this 
beautiful edifice, purchased, remodelled and furnished by the generous 
contributions of our members. 

But while we rejoice in the present flourishing condition of our 
Society, while we recognize with the warmest gratitude the self- 
sacrificing services of those who have carried on its operations to the 
present time, and especially of the noble benefactors, who have placed 
in our hands, during the past year, more than forty thousand dollars 
for the purchase, reconstruction and equipment of this house, let us 



PEOCEEDINGS. O 

not forget the gracious Providence which has crowned our efforts 
with success. And in acknowledgment of this goodness, I will 
call upon our associate, the Rev. Dr. Park, to give thanks in our 
behalf, and to invoke the Divine benediction upon us and upon our 
good work. 

Prayer was then offered by Professor Edwards A. Park, D.D., 
of the Theological Seminary at Andover. 

Appropriate lines were then sung by the whole assembly, led by 
Samuel B. No yes, Esq. 

After the delivery of the discourse, a doxology was sung by the 
assembly, and a benediction was pronounced by the Rev. Jainies H. 
Meaxs, A.m., of Dorchester. 

At the monthly meeting of the Society held April 5, 1871, Dr. 
WixsLOW Lewis offered the following resolution, which was 
adopted : — 

Resolved, — That the thanks of the Society be presented to the 
Hon. Charles H. Bell, for his able and interesting address de- 
livered on the 18th of JMarch last on the occasion of the dedication 
of the Society's Plouse, and that a copy be requested for publication. 



Description of the Society's House ; — In the Appendix to 
the Quarter-Century Discourse, published last year, will be found a 
history of the Society's estate, dating back to the first settlement of 
the town of Boston, prepared by the present writer and to which the 
reader is referred. At that time the house, which by the services 
above described has been dedicated to the interests of New-England 
history, had not been re-arranged and adapted to its present use. A 
few words of description may therefore be needed, especially for a 
large number of our members, who reside at a considerable distance. 

The House is situated on an eligible site in Somerset street, north- 
east of the Capitol, on the declivity of Beacon hill. Its location is 
near tlie valuable Library of the Boston Athenaeum, the State Library 



6 PROCEEDINGS. 

at the State House, the Record Office for deeds and wills of Suffolk 
county, and the City Hall. It was erected in 1805 for a dwelling- 
house, and was so used until it was purchased by the Society on 
the 12th of March, 1870. It is constructed of brick, strongly built, 
four stories in height by the original arrangement of flats, having a 
front of twenty-nine feet and five or six inches, and a depth of forty- 
two feet and a fraction over, with an extension in the rear of about 
twenty-one or two by a little over thirteen feet. The front is faced 
with a composition known as "concrete stone" ; it is made in blocks, 
and resembles a grayish sandstone, wdiile the heavy caps of the win- 
dows and doors, and other trimmings, are of sandstone from Nova 
Scotia. Over the entrance is inscribed : — 

Neav-England Historic, Genealogical Society. 

There are three rooms on the first floor ; the one in front is oc- 
cupied at present as a rece^Dtion-room, where members of the Society 
may meet for consultation and general conversation ; in the rear of 
this is the Directors' Room, where they hold their monthly meetings 
and where the officers prepare their correspondence. It is furnished 
Avith desks, cases, and drawers for their convenience. These two 
rooms have white marble fire-places, with grates for open fires. The 
extension, nineteen and a half by eleven feet in the clear, is con- 
structed into a Fire-proof Room. It has double walls of brick ; the 
floor and ceiling are also of brick and cement arched upon iron 
girders of great strength, capable of resisting falling walls or timbers 
in case of fire. It is furnished with shelves and a hundred and 
twenty-one drawers for receiving the rare books and manuscripts 
belonging to the Society. 

On the second floor there are also three rooms ; one over the en- 
trance hall, and another over the Fire-proof Room, both used for the 
reception and arrangement of books and pamplilets ; the third has 
an area of forty by twenty feet, and contains that part of the library 
which is in most constant use. The entire walls are lined with glazed 
cases of black walnut, in which the books are protected from dust. 
It is furnished with tables and desks for the convenience of those who 
may resort to the library for historical investigation. This room is 
known as the Library. 



PROCEEDINGS. 7 

The third and fourth stories of the original structure are thrown 
into one, and the whole area is occupied as a hall for the public 
meetings of the Society. It is agreeably lighted from the roof and 
by windows in the front and in the rear. A gallery, approached by 
an iron stairway, extends around the entire hall. The walls above 
the gallery are lined throughout with shelves, which are filled with 
books less frequently called for. A dais rises at the east end of the 
hall, which is occupied on public occasions by the president and 
other oflScers of the Society, and the readers of historical papers. 
The cellar is dry and commodious for storage, and contains a large 
furnace from which heat is conveyed to every part of the building. 
All the rooms throughoutt the house are furnished with gas-fixtures 
and chandeliers, by which abundant light is furnished whenever it is 
needed for reading or writing. The cost of the property, including 
the reconstruction of the house and its adaptation to the purposes 
of the Society, has been over forty-three thousand dollars, 
as will more exactly appear by the report of the treasurer hereafter 
to be made. 



DISCOURSE. 



The philosopliical inquirer who observes in every quarter of our 
broad land a considerable class of persons, of all grades of education 
and position, giving no small part of their lives to the rescue and pre- 
servation of the memorials of the past, cannot fail to ask what common 
bond of interest unites in similar pursuits those who are in all else so 
dissimilar. How comes it that the study of other times affords grati- 
fication alike to unlettered antiquary and accomplished historical 
scholar ; to the pitifid relic-hunter who gloats in private over his 
hoards, and the princely collector who holds his wondrous accumula- 
tions only in trust, for the world's enjoyment? What spell has power 
to touch a responsive chord in natures so world-wide asunder ? The 
answer is not doubtful. It is no mere fondness for things which are 
ancient ; for the most veritable piece of antiquity, without a story or 
association, Avould be powerless to awaken their interest. But it is 
the desire, common to each of them, to secure from decay visible tokens 
of the men and times that have passed aAvay, to keep alive their me- 
mory, and so to provide materials which Avill contribute to the com- 
pleteness of our country's ai'chives. 

The Future of American History, the incentive and the ultimate 
goal of the combined antiquarian effort so widely discernible among 
our people, will be the subject of my remarks on this occasion. 

It has been so confidently asserted, and so often repeated, by for- 
eign critics, that a taste for the pursuit of historical and antiquarian 
learning woidd never take kindly root in the soil of our republic, 
that unreflecting persons have been inclined to accept the statement 
as true. It is argued, Avitli plausibility, that as no important designs 
for the illustration and perpetuation of the memory of gi'eat men and 



10 DISCOUESE. 

momentous events can be successfully undertaken among foreign na- 
tions without the direction and patronage of a class sprung from a 
distinguished ancestry, accustomed to opulence, and of the refined 
tastes which grow out of a life of leisure and liberal culture, therefore 
no people without a like aristocratic class can expect to produce such 
works. And as a patrician order lias no place in the constitution of 
American society, the conclusion is inevitable that from the ranks of 
our own bustling and eminently practical population, with their atten- 
tion sharply fixed on the affairs of the present and future, in contra- 
distinction from those of the past time, no cordial interest or efficient 
support is to be expected in behalf of historical enterprises of a quality 
that sliould entitle them to rank with masterpieces. 

But a survey of the rapid progress which the studies of history and 
archaeology have made in the estimation of our people, within the 
memory of men in middle life, and of their prevalence at the present 
^ay, will satisfy the candid inquirer that no parallel can be drawn, in 
that respect, between our own and foreign countries. 

Only a single generation ago, when the seeds were beginning to 
germinate which have since sprung up and borne much fruit in the 
establishment and maintenance of this Society, the number of persons 
in the community who were willing to be thought specially addicted 
to the study of American history, Avas exceedingly small, and con- 
sisted almost exclusively of gentlemen advanced in life, and who 
had already acquired a certain position in letters or professional em- 
ployment. He who had not yet made his mark in some reputable 
calling, could hardly venture to hold himself out as a delver in the 
rubbish of antiquity, without incurring the risk of failure in more 
practical pursuits. For though it was not thought absolutely infra 
dig. for one who had achieved his fortune to cultivate antiquarian 
tastes, yet a young man, with a complement of limbs, who should 
have had the temerity, in those days, to choose historical authorship 
as his sole dependence for bread and fame, would have been looked 
upon, genei'ally, Avith compassion if not with contempt. 

But since that time how complete a revolution in the popular sen- 
timent has been effected. Many of the most diligent, prominent and 
accomplished historical scholars in the land are among our active men 
of business. They have ceased to feel reluctant to have the direction 
of their studies publicly known ; for to be a student, even of antiqui- 



THE FUTURE OF AJVIERICAN HISTORY. 11 

ties, no longer has power to affect a man's standing' on Change. The 
populace may stiH wonder at the delight with which the antiquary- 
welcomes the addition of a dingy tract to his cherished stores, or at 
the enthusiasm, not to say Avarmth, which is sometimes imparted to 
the discussion of a topic gray with the moss of ceutm-ies : but there 
is no sneer in the wonder. The whole subject has grown into respect. 
To-day the historian and archaeologist have their assured places in the 
republic of letters ; and to engage in authorship in those departments, 
as a profession, is no more precarious than is a position in a counting- 
room or a bank. 

There is scarcely a more crucial test of the popularity of a propo- 
sition, in the United States, than the attempt to appropriate the pub- 
lic money in support of it. The sturdy tax-payers will not patiently 
submit to the expenditure of their contributions to the treasmy for 
purposes that do ■ not meet their approval. And tliis feeling is too 
"well understood by the representative bodies of the people to permit 
them to jeopard their popularity by trying such experiments. If it 
is whispered that the rule has sometimes an exception, when motives 
are brought to bear upon honorable members, sufficient to outweigh 
their dread of their constituents' displeasure, still there is one class 
of measures which it would be absurd to believe are carried by undue 
influences ; for who ever heard of a lobby in the interest of history ? 

The historical publications issued under the authority of the Con- 
gress of the United States, some of Avhich are costly, elaborate and 
of the highest value, constitute incontestable proof that the great 
body of the people have a growing respect and desire for that species 
of knowledge. Of the numerous works of this character, it is only 
necessary to mention one, which, though incomplete in its printed 
form, is yet a perfect mine of information respecting the period of the 
American Revolution which it covers. I refer to Force's American 
Archives ; and it is matter of real regret that, as the nation is now 
in possession of the remaining volumes of the series, in manuscript. 
Congress has not yet seen fit to order them printed. I think it is 
safe to say that the people woidd not be dissatisfied with the outlay 
necessary to complete the great national work, and woidd even prefer 
those volumes to the class of hermetically closed quartoes, the publica- 
tion of which, by some law of unnatural selection, seems fastened, 
barnacle-like, for all time upon the public treasury. 



12 DISCOURSE. 

In like manner the increased interest of the people of our country 
in historical learning, is evidenced by the compilation and publication 
by several of the States, of their official records and documents. In 
most instances the design has been carried out under the direction of 
competent and learned editors, and in a very thorough and liberal 
style, involving of course no inconsiderable pecuniary expense. The 
people, in some instances, might have been pardoned if they had re- 
garded the bui'den as too onerous ; and the fact that tliey bore it 
unmurmuringly indicates how general is the appreciation of the im- 
portance of saving from decay the authentic memorials of the past. 

13ut perhaps the most striking act of legislation in aid of historical 
enterprises, is that which has recently been adopted in some of the 
States of New-England, by which cities and towns are empowered 
to raise and apply money to the preparation and publication of their 
corporate histories. These municipalities, in the theory of our 
government, have the authority to lay taxes for the defrayment of 
their necessary expenses, only. They have no power to compel their 
citizens to contribute to any objects of taste or sentiment. The new 
law therefore places town-histories on the footing of necessaries — 
things indispensable to the public welfare. No more unmistakable 
acknowledgment and recognition of the popular appreciation and 
demand for historical information can be imagined.' 

For many years past, associations organized for the promotion of 
the knowledge of our country's history and antiquities, have been 
in existence. In their earlier form they maintained a high degree of 
respectability, both in the character of their meml^ers and of their 
productions. Yet it cannot be denied that they signally lacked zeal, 
energy and the faculty of awakening interest. The consequence was 
that they remained nearly stationary in point of numbers, their re- 
sources were cramped, and their influence upon the outer world was 
extremely limited. Of late years the associations for such purposes 
have usually been conducted upon different principles. The object 
has been not to make eminence and a life time of labor conditions of 
membership, but to awaken an interest in the objects of the associa- 
tions in those who move the Avheels of society ; not to establish a 
veteran-reserve corj)s, but to organize a battalion for the field. 

' I am informed that the credit of framing and introducing this important and useful 
hiw, is due to our vcneraljle associate, John II. Sueitaru, Esq., while a resident of the 
State of Maine. 



THE FUTURE OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 13 

The feasibility, and the need, of arousing the interest and sympathy 
of a great number of men, in the active pursuits of hfe, in behalf of 
the objects of historical and antiquarian societies, is becoming gene- 
rally conceded. It has been learned that the chronic belief that no 
considerable portion of the community could be induced to care for 
the affairs of the past age, is untenable. jNIen of not the highest 
literary acquirements are found not unfrequently to have a fondness 
and an aptitude for the cultivation of liistory ; and those whose 
fathers were simple yeomen are no less anxious to trace out the 
branches of the family tree, than if they bore in their veins " the 
blood of all the Howards." 

Naturally the range of such societies has been extended and the 
membership greatly increased and popularized. Zeal is the offspring 
of companionship ; with added numbers a deeper interest has been 
awakened and greater efforts have been made. The energy and 
sagacity with which the men of business conducted their own affairs, 
they have put at the service of the societies Avith Avhich they are con- 
nected. Xever were the organizations for historic purposes so thriv- 
ing, useful and influential as now. In point of number they have 
increased fourfold in a generation ; Avhile their members and friends 
have been multiplied in a far more generous proportion. 

The libraries of our country are becoming powerful auxiliaries in 
the cultivation and development of the taste for historical knoAvledge. 
A few of the more noted of them date their origin in the last centu- 
ry, though the greater portion ai'e of recent formation ; the principal 
growth of all of them has taken place within the last three decades 
of years. At the present time in nearly every State one library, at 
least, exists, devoted chiefly to history, and connected with a kindred 
society. In ^Massachusetts there are four such collections, each of 
considerable extent. ]Most of the States of the Union have also 
state-libraries, proper, the composition of wliicli is largely of the 
same character, and some of which are of extraordinary dimensions 
and value. Of other great collections which are peculiarly rich in 
the same department of literature, the library of Congress, the library 
company of Philadelphia, the Astor of New- York, and the Athe- 
naeum of Boston, are most noteworthy, by reason of their magnificent 
proportions and tlicir national consequence. 



14 DISCOURSE. 

Few among the private libraries of the country are ancestral. 
Some of the largest and fullest in that class of works which bear 
the distinctive appellation of Americana, have been formed in the 
life-time of their owners. A few of the most important, like those 
of Mr. Lenox, of New-York, and Mr. Brown, of Providence, are 
known by description to all inquirers. But the existence of by far the 
greater number, even of large and choice private collections, is never 
made known to the public, except by accident. In every city and 
considerable town, and I had almost said in every village and ham- 
let, there are persons devoting much time, energy and money to the 
acquisition of books relating to general and local American history. 
No man can number them. The booksellers, whose interest lies in 
knowing every buyer, are forced to admit that they cannot keep pace 
with the book-hunters ; but are constantly learning of new and un- 
suspected aggregations formed by persons unknown as well to fame 
as to their fraternity. 

How wide-spread and ardent is the search for the uncommon vo- 
lumes illustrating our country's progress, may be ascertained by a 
reference to the rates at which they are sold. The extravagance of 
bibliomaniacs in all countries is proverbial, but no prodigality in 
Christendom has ever exceeded that of some of our fastidious book- 
fanciers, in the purchase of Americana of peculiar rarity. 

Only second to the taste for the collection of books, is that for the 
acquisition of relics, illustrative of our earlier history. It is not 
surprising that many persons are disposed to regard the mania for 
" collecting," as it is termed, as puerile and ridiculous, when it is 
directed to articles of no intrinsic interest or importance. But against 
too sweeping a condemnation of the practice, I desire to enter an 
earnest protest. The gathering and arrangement of certain classes 
of memorials of by-gone generations constitute a most valuable and 
indispensable aid to the study and right understanding of history. 
The office of the antiquary has been said to be, to provide materials 
for the historian : the collector gives them light and color. We 
never can so fully realize past transactions, as when we behold some 
tangible, material object which made a part of them. It is true, for 
example, we read with horror of the pitiless scenes enacted under 
the sanction of the law, during the Avitchcraft delusion in NcAV-Eng- 
land ; but what minuteness of written description can so touch our 



THE FUTURE OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 15 

senses with the veiy presence and reality of those judicial murders, 
as the sight of the yellow and tattered warrant that tells in hideous 
nakedness of phrase, the death doom and fete of one of those un- 
fortunates ? 

Of the same kind of interest and value, and only inferior in de- 
gree, are the autographs of noted persons, the various paper currency, 
and other like memorials of the realm of the past, wliich are sought 
for by the judicious collector. They serve to illustrate to the eye 
the character of the age to which they belonged ; to photograph upon 
the sensorium the times and scenes of which they were components ; 
to enable us to walk the streets, to sit at the boards, and to live the 
lives of departed generations. 

The day has perhaps been, when there was truth in the saying 
that if one could write the ballads of a nation, he need not care who 
made their laws. But he who could gain the control of the American 
people to-day, must have the making of their books. It would be by 
their reading that they would be ruled ; and it is by their reading that 
their tastes and progress are to be measured. In the earlier stages of the 
country, our grandfathers were content with such information respect- 
ing even occurrences of note, as could be conveyed in the pages of a 
meagre tract. At a later period substantial volumes took their place, 
but they lingered lovingly on the booksellers' shelves. Now, the 
onmiverous appetite of the reading public consumes everything that 
is set before it, from the lean pamphlet to the portly folio. Of course 
the vast book-supplies of the day consist in but small part of works 
relating to our country and its history ; yet the aggregate of 
such works is something wonderful, nevertheless. We have book- 
sellers whose main business lies in American historical literature, and 
publishers who make the issuing of such works a specialty. We 
have numerous series of collections, and periodical publications, de- 
voted to the same subject, and juvenile volumes without limit, to 
instruct the young concerning the notable things of their own 
and other times. We exhaust one edition after another of the 
productions of the present age, and form clubs to reprint those of 
ages long past. 

Out of these various evidences of the change which the public 
sentiment in our country has undergone in a generation, it is easy 
to demonstrate the present existence of the three principal conditions 



16 DISCOURSE. 

for the formation of a national historical literature : first, a reading 
class, strong in numbers, and of intelligence equal to the under- 
standing and appreciation of works of such a character ; second, a 
general inclination and movement, in public and private quarters, to 
value, gather, preserve and effectually utilize the various materials 
available for the chronicler's use ; and third, organized bodies of 
avowed friends of historical investigation and progress, encouragers 
of effort and study, promoters of judicious criticism, and nurseries 
of authors. 

There are, however, certain dangers, to which our national history 
is exposed, from the very fact of the strong hold which the subject 
has taken upon the popular sympathies. It is precisely when a thing 
is in the greatest request, that it is most liable to deterioration. 
When the appetite is keen, it is neither discriminating nor dainty, 
and with the knoAvledge of tliat fact, the quality of the repast pro- 
vided for it will suffer accoxxlingly. So if the public- demand is so 
sweeping that poor books, in default of better, will be used and 
read, the fear is that few competent persons will be induced to under- 
take the study and toil required to reach the higlier Avalks of letters. 

The faults Avhich are most visible in the historical productions of 
America are not peculiar nor limited to our land ; tliey are as wide- 
spread and general as are the infirmities of human nature. But from 
causes not difficult to discern, they are more noticeable and promi- 
nent in our literature than in perhaps any other. 

Such is the case with the performances of a class of persons, fortu- 
nately few, who under the guise of historians, are mere partisan writers. 
Some of them have learning, research, even genius ; but that only gives 
them the greater power to mislead. They come to the investigation 
of points, not with judgment on even scale, and minds open to re- 
ceive the impressions which the truth may gi^e, but with conclusions 
already formed, beyond all ho2:)e of change from facts or figures. 
The office of these men is not to record history, but to do violence 
to it ; not to save, but to put to the sword. They strive to set forth 
in striking lights and exaggerated proportions certain favorite per- 
sonages and their doings, as the leading features of the scene, and to 
crowd back all otliers and all else into obscurity. Their labors con- 
sist in great part in explaining away, or controverting hostile ^•iews and 
statements, and in reconciling, so far as ingenuity can compass it, the 



THE FUTURE OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 17 

unbending familiar truth with the incompatible hypotheses to which 
they have committed themselves. If it is beyond credulity to make the 
genuine and the spurious square with each other, then with the in- 
stinct of the cuttle-fish, these authors envelope the whole subject in 
convenient obscurity. They utterly lose sight of the real mission of 
the historian, to be the simple mouth-piece of truth, to lift the veil 
in which every question is enshrouded, and to assign to each person- 
age and each event, in the drama of life, the exact degree of promi- 
nence, of influence, of credit or shame, to which the most careful 
study and reflection would seem to entitle them. 

Akin to the -udlful perverters of truth, in one respect, yet far less 
influential and mischievous, are those authors who have made some 
notable discovery in history, Avhich has hitherto eluded the researches 
of all explorers. They have been sagacious enough to learn, for ex- 
ample, that one who passed for a patriot and a hero, among his con- 
temporaries, and whose title to the distinction was never doubted by 
his biographers, was in reality a mere braggart and poltroon ; that 
the glory of an achievement which excited the world's admiration, has 
been unaccountably assigned to the wrong person, a shameless usurp- 
er of the laurel that should have twined the brows of some mute 
inglorious Cassar, whose fame and name, but for this timely revela- 
tion, might have continued forever in oblivion. 

The temptation to reform and improve history, is powerful, to 
credulous persons, with a leaning toward the marvellous. It is gra- 
tifying to the sense of justice to unmask pretence and vindicate 
unrecognized merit, even in those who have vanished from the stage 
of action ; it is pleasant to be the first to clear away the obstructions to 
the full understanding of motives and events, and especially to feel 
that one's own ingenuity and acumen have surpassed those of all for- 
mer confessedly sharp-eyed investigators.^ It is not strange, there- 
fore, that novel historical discoveries, based on new and startling 
views of human character and conduct, should be sometimes broached. 
These win the applause of the groundUngs, and make perhaps among 
better men, a noise for a time. But the great verdict of history, upon 
all questions, is made up from a survey of a thousand facts, and the 
judgment of a thousand minds, each modifying, and modified by, the 
rest ; and as it is not formed on light grounds, so will it not be light- 
ly disturbed. 



18 DiSCOtJESE. 

The national habit of haste is liltely to leave its impress all too 
plainly upon some departments of our history. ISTo sooner is the 
career of a great man ended, than a race begins between a score of 
facile pens for the earliest production of his "life and times." Nar- 
ratives of campaigns which involve the destinies of the world, are 
written before the reverberations of the cannon have yet died away upon 
the hills, or the smoke faded from the battle-fields. The outgoing min- 
ister of state, when he waits upon his successor to deliver up the 
insignia of office, finds him perusing an account of the administration 
just ended. 

There is no distinction of subjects to these rapid workmen : they 
will turn you out an essay on archaeology with about the same facility 
as a sketch of the occurrences of the hour. A popular call for any 
species of literary ware will be answered with commercial promptness 
and despatch. There is no department of letters but must suffer 
deeply from this slip-shod manner of composition ; but its effect upon 
history is peculiarly disastrous. It is impossible to describe the 
inaccuracy and ignorance, the slovenliness and utter want of method, 
the confusion and lack of appreciation, consequent upon the habit of 
undue haste. History is valuable only as it is accurate, and is accu- 
rate only through much study, attention and care. Rapidity and 
correctness, in that direction, are simply incompatible. 

The same class of writers who produce the maximum of volumes 
on the minimum of study and reflection, perhaps by way of atoning 
in their manner for the poverty of their matter, have introduced a 
style of composition which challenges attention by its flippancy and 
pretence. Not content with the well of English of our fathers, they 
must needs eke out its waters with the wine of France and the puddle 
of modern slang ; they delight in words strained out of all recognition 
in their use, and in sounding polysyllables which ill perform the 
office of the brief Saxon speech ; while so stilted is their phi^aseology 
and so distorted the members of their sentences, that old-fashioned 
readers become really uneasy at the display of verbal gymnastics. 

If there is any form and use of language which is esj^ecially ap- 
propriate to liistorical narration, it is the simplest. It should be a 
plain unvarnished tale ; therein only are true dignity and eloquence. 
Attempted fine writing, abuses of language, ambitious terms of ex- 
pression, strivings for novelty, the educated judgment will sedulously 



THE FUTURE OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 19 

avoid. In addition to their ofFensiveness to good taste, affectations 
of style fail also to produce any vivid impression upon the reader's 
mind. No clear statement of facts, no careful analysis of character, 
no satisfiictory solutions of the problems of human conduct, can be 
conveyed by language misused, wrenched and bedezined into sho^vy 
smartness. We might as well expect to get accurate notions of 
Roman history from the readings of the erudite Mr. Wegg and his 
version of the deeds of "Polly Beeious" and "Bully Sawyers." 

There is a cloud, at present Httle larger than a man's hand, im- 
pending oVer our historical horizon, which deserves to be mentioned, 
as its extension would threaten serious evils. It is easy for any 
person, in this age and country, to rush into print. ]Men of little 
education, sometimes men of no education at all, are accustomed, in 
some shape, to contribute for the press. The old and honored 
opinion that an author should possess sense, wit and scholarsliip is 
not always heeded. Persons of small pretensions to those qualities 
have tried their hands at pencraft, and their failure has not been so 
ignominious and crushing as to deter others, with no greater qualifi- 
cations, from essaying similar performances. It is melancholy to 
add, that there are persons so blind to the true dignity and elevation 
of the domain of Clio, that they fancy, though they may lack the 
capacity to make a respectable figure in any other department of 
literature, they are amply qualified to write history ! 

An infatuation which threatens such dire consequences, it should 
be the part of the judicious and discriminating to correct — kindly if 
it may be, by pointing out how especially high erudition, acumen 
and scholarly tastes and instincts are demanded for historical compo- 
sition — but with wise severity, if nothing else will serve, by criticism 
blasting the ephemeral products of ignorance and self-sufficiency, like 
the resistless tongue of the prairie-fire. The crusade against incom- 
petency and illiteracy is a righteous one : no armistice nor compro- 
mise should be permitted to stay its progress ; mercy, no less than 
justice, exacts that it should be a war of extermination. 

In spite of all drawbacks, there is, I believe, no other country 
upon earth, that aftbrds greater facilities and encouragements for the 
building up of a national historical literature of ample volume and 
sterling merit, than our own. There is no lack of inducements for 
authors of the highest genius, learning and taste to enter upon the 



20 DISCOURSE. 

work. There is an abundance of subjects, suited to the widest diver- 
sities of capacity and inclination. AVhat land has signalized the passage 
of time by events more various, striking and momentous than those 
which our annals present? What range of characters can be found 
elsewhere, more diversified, curious and picturesque? There is no 
period of our history that would not worthily employ the skill of 
the cunningest limner of the past. 

Consider the times of the early navigators in these western waters, 
and their rude maritime enterprises in the pursuit of science and 
fame ; the first settlements on these shores by civilized men, and the 
strange juxtaposition of fugitives from religious pei'secution, of bold 
adventurers in quest of new scenes and stirring deeds, and of sturdy 
traders who accepted the hardships of the new world as the condi- 
tions of gain, all of them ere long forced to make common cause in 
defending their infant colonies against the inroads of the red sons of 
the soil ; the bitter, protracted, often settled and as often renewed 
paroxysms of the Indian warfiire ; the planting of the cross and the 
lilies of France in Canada and through the great west by the emis- 
saries of the church : the shiftino- fortunes of the oio-antic struo-o-le 
between England and France for the mastery upon this continent ; 
the dawning of the idea of independence upon the minds of the colo- 
nists, and their heroic and successful efforts and sacrifices to attain 
it ; and the consequent laying of the foundations of a mighty repub- 
lic ; — consider this wondrous succession of varied and thrilling scenes 
— to make no mention of later unparalleled occurrences — and you 
realize somewhat the capabilities of American histoiy for purposes of 
illustration and artistic effect. 

The materials for the composition of our national chronicles, at 
home and abroad, exist almost in profusion. Fortunately the earli- 
est known discovery of America by civilized man occurred after the 
invention of printing. AYc are not compelled to resort to tradition 
or fancy to eke out authoritative records. Each successive voyager 
to these shores, from the great Genoese to the time when coloniza- 
tion was successfully effected, caused the results of his observations 
to be recorded, and, in most instances, to be committed to the press : 
so that during the whole of that earlier period, the archives of for- 
eign countries, supplemented by contemporaneous printed accounts, 
furnish copious materials for framing the annals of American dis- 
covery. 



THE FUTURE OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 21 

After the planting of the colonies, a system of public records was 
inaugurated in each municipality, which has preserved the informa- 
tion of an official and general character, almost without a break, 
down to the present time. Of private documents, letters, journals 
and memoranda, covering the same period, there is no lack, in the 
possession of societies and individuals. The abundance of these 
sources of information is only equalled by their accessibility. No 
fees, exceptions or embarrassing restrictions attend the examination 
of oiu" public records or archives ; they present themselves almost 
too invitingly, for a proper regard for their security from even unin- 
tentional injury. And it is creditable to add, on the best authority, 
that by scarce an institution or a person in the land, possessing the 
materials for the compilation of history, however choice or costly, 
woidd permission to consult them, for any proper historical purpose, 
be denied to any person of honesty and sufficient sense to appreciate 
the value of the privilege. 

Does the historian ask for substantial rewards for his labor, for 
a circle of sympathetic readers, for the fame of literary success? He 
Avill not ask here in vain. Nowhere else is his profession so lucra- 
tive ; nowhere else does he address a body of the public so numer- 
ous, kindly and appreciative. They submit indulgently to the inflic- 
tions of mediocrity ; they arc ready to raise poeans in honor of one 
who entitles himself to a really high place in letters. The most in- 
satiable aspirant for wealth and honors will attain the goal of his 
ambition, when he has become a successful contributor to the histo- 
rical literature of America. 

From a survey of the field of the past and the present, I have an 
aljiding faith that our history is destined, in the fulness of time, to 
be better written than that of any other people. The faults that 
deface it now will disappear with a greater experience and higher 
cultivation. When we see hoAv much a generation has accomplished, 
what may we not expect from a century? 

The inquiring and tentative spirit which characterizes our nation, 
will purify and confirm its histoiy. Partisan and sensational writers 
may for a time unsettle the minds of the weaker brethren, but the 
truth will always bear, and be promoted by free discussion. In 
exposing the errors of others, we fortify our faith in our own princi- 
ples. We want no shams or pious frauds in our annals ; the lessons 
of the past are most wholesome when unadidteralcd. 



22 DISCOUESE. 

In that not too distant future, when the perfected American history- 
shall be written, the sources of knowledge and the grounds of opinion 
shall be thorovighly ransacked, exaggeration of fact and of sentiment 
shall be among the lost arts, learning, sense and taste shall guide the 
pen, and truth and humanity prompt the tliought. 

We are assembled here to-day to make a formal opening and 
dedication of this new building of the Historic, Genealogical Socie- 
ty., The genuine son of Xew-England is never fairly settled in life, 
until he has become the proprietor, in fee simple, of a home of his 
own. Before that consummation is reached, his plans are indefinite, 
and, in law-phrase, ambulatory. But once established under his own 
roof-tree, his future is mapped out before him, at a glance. His 
home is the base from which his life-campaign is conducted. He 
comes forth from the contact of his own soil, like Antasus, renewed 
and streno-thened for the struooles of the world. 

I cannot doubt that a kindred feelino; will animate our Xew-Eng- 
land Society, on entering into possession of our permanent home. 
This elegant and commodious structure, which we owe to the munifi- 
cence of a portion of our members, whose means are fortunately as 
ample as their good will, and to whom no words of mine can render an 
adequate tribute of gratitude, is to the Society a timely and fitting- 
help, recognition and encouragement.' Once happily domiciled 
within these walls , and no apprehensions resj)ecting a local habitation 
are hereafter to arise, to chill the ardor of our devotion to the objects 
of our organization. 

A year ago to-day, we listened to a valuable and impressive recital 
of the work which had been performed by our Society in the quarter- 
century of its existence ; now the appropriate inquiry is, what are 
we to accomplish in the future ? For we are not to be content with 
doing as we have done. A new talent has been entrusted to us for 
our improvement, and we are not at liberty to hide it in a napkin. 
We have incurred new and grave responsibilities by becoming house- 
holders. Henceforth, in forming an estimate of our operations, men 

' A list of tlic contributors to tlic expense of the bnilding lias already been puljlislied. 
But the services of those who proctircd the contributions, and supervised the work, were 
in the highest degree arduous and important, and are deserving of special acknowledg- 
ment. It Ys hoped it will not be invidious to name, out of the iiianj' gentlemen w-ho ren- 
dered cheerful aid, Hon. Marshall P. WiLDErv, President, and William B. Towxi;, Esq., 
Treasurer, of the Society, who Mere untiring in their efforts to bring the design to itsh.ippy 
conclusion. 



THE FUTUKE OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 23 

will naturally take into account the augmented advantages of our 
position, and will, not unreasonably, expect us to reach a higher mark 
on the scale of historical progress than ever before. 

Here on this twenty-sixth birth-day of our Society we dedicate 
this edifice to the discovery and elucidation of historic truth. But 
we can fitly complement the work, only by dedicating our individual 
efforts and abilities, more earnestly and zealously than heretofore, to 
the same cause. 

Let us learn what it is necessary to do, to supply the wants, to add 
to the resources, to heighten the efficiency, and to mden the influence 
of our Society, and then address ourselves resolutely to the work of 
accomplishing each of these results. 

As a Society, let us keep free from all bias and prejudice in our 
investigations, if we woidd gain for our opinions any authority or 
respect. Let us never acquire the reputation of being image-break- 
ers or image-worshippers. Our institution, coterminous with Xew- 
England, represents, we are proud to believe, no narrow prejudices, 
no petty jealousies, no selfish purposes, but takes its tone from a 
great body of honest and earnest workers and thinkers, various in 
education, occupation and social position, alike in devotion to the 
pursuits to which the Society is dedicated. 

Its record in the past is one of which we may well be proud ; it 
is for us to see to it that its future career shall do no discredit to its 
early promise. Within these walls may each successive year behold 
renewed zeal and application, wider capacity and higher cidture ; and 
may the New-England Historic, Genealogical Society, at all times 
honorably bear its part, in the construction and advancement of 
American historical literature. 



